Modem gaming systems commonly include a number of gaming machines (hereinafter referred to as “player stations”) connected across a communications network with one or more central data processing devices. Some gaming systems even have several different layers of central processing devices. For example, each one of several different gaming facilities may have a number of player stations connected for communications with a respective local area server, and the local area servers at the different gaming facilities may be connected for communication with another server.
There are a number of different functions that may be carried out in these gaming system networks using one or more layers of central data processing devices. For example, an electronic lottery system may use a central data processing device to store a file containing a number of electronic lottery records, and may distribute electronic lottery records or information from those records to the various player stations connected in the network. U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,385 discloses an example of an electronic lottery gaming system in which lottery result information is communicated over a network to the various player stations included in the network. Electronic bingo gaming systems may also be implemented with one or more layers of central data processing devices. Some electronic bingo gaming systems include a number of player stations from which players may submit requests to enter a bingo game, and may also include a central server that collects these game play requests and conducts bingo games to identify results which are then distributed back to the appropriate player stations in the network. U.S. patent application publication 2004-0152499-A1 discloses an example of such a bingo gaming system. Central data processing devices may also be used to implement progressive games in which progressive prizes are determined based upon wagers made at a number of different player stations in the network. U.S. patent application publication 2002-0132666-A1 shows another example of a gaming system network using one or more central data processing devices. In this example, the network implements a player account system for maintaining player accounts from which wagers are withdrawn and to which winnings are credited. A player tracking system or player club system may also be implemented in a gaming system network. Gaming networks may also be implemented simply for providing centralized monitoring and control for a number of different player stations.
Gaming system networks are commonly proprietary to a single player station provider. Also, a gaming facility such as a casino may contain player stations provided by different providers and operating on separate gaming system networks. Thus, a first player station at a casino may be connected in a first gaming system network, and another player station right next to the first player station may be connected in an entirely separate gaming system network. In these situations the player stations themselves are not only competing for players, but also the different networks are competing for players. Even where a given gaming facility includes only a single network of player stations, and all player stations at that facility are connected in that network, an adjacent gaming facility may include one or more separate gaming system networks. In these cases, the neighboring gaming system networks are essentially in competition for players.
Due to the competition between gaming system networks, it is desirable to have some way to make the player stations in a given network more attractive to potential players. Player station providers have traditionally tried to attract players by consistently introducing new and more exciting game presentations. “Game presentation” is used here and throughout this disclosure to refer to all of the graphic displays and mechanisms used by a player station in the course of receiving a wager and other player inputs, and showing the result of play at the player station for a given game. Gaming system operators try to have the most popular game presentations at player stations in their network in an effort to attract players to the network, and to retain players in the network.